Released: September 10, 2008

New homes focus on senior-friendly features

Source: Haya El Nasser, USA Today

States and cities worried about where the growing number of senior citizens will live when they’re older are starting to ask that all new homes be built to accommodate the elderly.

Almost 60 state and local governments have passed initiatives — some mandatory but most voluntary — asking all builders to include at least three features in new houses to help seniors and the disabled: no steps at the entrance, a bathroom on the ground floor and wider doorways.

“We know that people want to stay in their homes and want to live independently as long as they can,” says Elinor Ginzler, senior vice president for livable communities at AARP. “The design of homes is a critical factor.”

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